Leiden Safety and Security Blog - Education and Traininghttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/
enb.kalkavan@fgga.leidenuniv.nlCopyright 20182018-11-19T11:45:00+00:00Trauma and the Syrian Civil War: the Implications for Securityhttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/trauma-and-the-syrian-civil-war-the-implications-for-security
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/trauma-and-the-syrian-civil-war-the-implications-for-security#When:15:14:00ZAt least half of the Syrian refugees are believed to have developed severe mental issues as a result of the conflict, yet the stigma on trauma remains prevalent as ever.]]>

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi girl who was captured by Islamic State (IS) fighters in 2014 and held as a sex slave for several months. Her account The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State garnered worldwide acclaim for chronicling her horrendous journey through IS territory, forever at the whims of her captors, as a modern-day tragedy.

The war of our time

The Syrian civil war has been raging on since 2011 and though the intensity of the war has died down somewhat, there is still no sign of an imminent armistice. Meanwhile, an estimated 360.000 to 470.000 people (of which 110.000 are civilians) are thought to have lost their lives in this war and over 5 million Syrians have fled their homes.

Echoing Joseph Stalin’s statement that “the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions a statistic”, these numbers do not capture the grief and suffering that went hand in hand with the bombing raids on cities such as Aleppo, failed crossings of the Mediterranean Sea in ramshackle boats, or the barbaric chemical weapons attacks on civilians, including children. As a result, over 70 percent of Syrian children are thought to exhibit ‘toxic stress’ - with all of them reported experiencing an ‘overwhelming feeling of being unsafe’- and at least half of the Syrian refugees are believed to have developed severe mental issues as a result of the conflict.

The chain of the past

In his essay On the use and abuse of history for life, Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that what set human beings apart from animals is their capacity for historical reflection. They cannot avoid their past: ‘however far or fast he run, that chain runs with him’. By its very nature, though, this chain is too heavy to carry and thus we manage our past by conveniently ‘forgetting’ and remembering the events that shape our sense of self and identity; in short, our life.

For traumatized individuals, however, the matter is different. Their conduct of life at the mercy of their memory, their chains of the past weigh them down almost continuously, draining their energy, impeding their social interactions and engendering a pessimistic outlook on life. Trauma is a sudden, forceful blow to the psyche: an experience that transcends the human faculty for comprehending and making sense of the event. It can manifest in many ways; through hyperarousal, where the individual maintains a prolonged and often unwarranted state of heightened senses and vigilance; and intrusion, where the individual vividly relives the event.

Congruent with these physiological symptoms, the word ‘(psycho)trauma’ often evokes terms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorder. But while these are valid diagnostic constructs, they only capture generalized, categorical symptoms of people who have all experienced unique traumatic events and will process these in their own idiosyncratic ways. Exacerbating the issue of hyperarousal is a survivor’s sense of moral breakdown, as norms that previously facilitated social order and stability did not prove as resilient as was once thought, only adding to heightened feelings of insecurity. With their sense of self shattered and their worldviews uprooted, their way of relating to the outside world is forever changed, and many will never become more than a shadow of their former selves.

In addition, trauma is mediated in very social ways: in day-to-day social interactions and through cultural systems that regulate the manifestation of trauma through norms, values, taboos and roles. In Syria, where mental health care has been marginal at best (before the war there were 100 psychiatrists for 22 million people), the stigma on trauma remains prevalent as ever. People with mental health issues are commonly regarded as being possessed by demons. They are ‘majnun’, or crazy in Arabic.

The complexity of the Syrian civil war is also reflected in the breadth of personal traumatic experiences. Not everyone experienced sexual abuse or dug their own dead children out of the concrete rubble. People may wish to find solace in their communities but struggle to find commonalities with other people, as the incessant and unrelenting war compounds a series of mentally debilitating events into ‘complex trauma’. Moreover, in a country where all but a few have witnessed immense tragedy, it is likely that people do not wish to burden their peers with their sorrows, leaving their heartaches to fester as unattended wounds for many more years.

How then are societies to move forward in the aftermath of such mass transgressions of human integrity and dignity? People seek kinship in suffering, hoping to form some meaning-making narrative out of chaos, but their feelings of estrangement only contribute to the detriment of social cohesion and belonging. Previously peaceful and flourishing communities therefore become highly dysfunctional in the aftermath of war and conflict.

Moving forward, step by step

If there is one lesson Nadia Murad can teach us it is that in a country beset by tragedy suffering remains deeply personal. Addressing trauma should not merely involve adopting policies aimed at decreasing PTSD and depression rates. As trauma settles within the darker confines of the human psyche, it eventually embeds in the social structures, culture and identity, and so its highly contextual and unique nature must be recognized. It is only once we acknowledge the profound social ramifications of mass trauma that we can move towards a better understanding of the security situation in Syria, now and in the years to come.

]]>Diplomacy and Global Affairs, Education and Training,2018-11-12T15:14:00+00:00New MOOC: Risk in Modern Societyhttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/new-mooc-risk-in-modern-society
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/new-mooc-risk-in-modern-society#When:09:00:00ZTogether with the Leiden•Delft•Erasmus alliance, Leiden University created a Massive Open Online Course for students and professionals with a broad interest in the topic of risk and/or safety and security.]]>

On Monday the 29th of January, the brand-new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ‘Risk in Modern Society’ will officially start and you can still enroll. This course was developed by the Centre for Safety and Security of the Leiden•Delft•Erasmus alliance.

Risk has become one of the defining features of our modern society. Whether it concerns our economy, our safety and security, or even our climate, risk (and the avoidance or embracing thereof) has become a key concept that underlines much of our decision-making. It is a cornerstone notion for governments, businesses, organizations, as well as individuals all around the globe.

In recent decades, however, society’s ability to effectively manage risk has come under increasing pressure. Not only have advances in science and technology generated many new and complex forms of risk, such as chemical or nuclear incidents, but the growing influence of globalization has also aggravated many others, significantly increasing their reach and scale. Increasing interdependence of technological systems, for example, now means that many risks are no longer isolated, but can have dramatic cascading effects.

As a result of this changing nature of risks, as well as the context of their appearance, it has become increasingly urgent to develop new and innovative approaches to better understand and deal with risk. This is particularly true in relation to so-called ‘newly emerging risks’, such as data breaches or ransomware attacks, which have the potential to affect many systems on which society depends, including our political, digital, health and industrial infrastructures.

Given the growing transboundary impact of many newly emerging risks, the approaches devised to deal with them will also progressively need to transcend barriers of their own. Going back to the earlier example of ransomware attacks, these types of risks not only present themselves as technical challenges related to the computer software, but also as economic challenges, due to their ability to significantly cripple businesses and governments. In a similar manner then, studying these types of risks requires combining academic knowledge from multiple fields to develop theories, lenses and methods which can help us better understand and respond to their occurrence.

The online course Risk in Modern Societyrepresents one of the first cooperative projects developed towards this purpose. Drawing on the unique expertise available from the Leiden•Delft•Erasmus alliance, this course examines a wide variety of safety and security risks, ranging from terrorism and violent crime, to chemical and natural hazards, cyber security, and infectious diseases and hospital acquired infections. The course covers questions such as: “what is risk?”, “how can we study and deal with risk?”, “does ‘perceived risk’ correspond to 'real' risk?”, and “how should we deal with societal perceptions of risk, safety and security?

This course is aimed at students and professionals with a broad interest in the topic of risk and/or safety and security. Enrollment is still open and does not require any prior knowledge about risk or related topics.

To learn more and to enroll in this free, exciting new course, please click on the following link: Risk in Modern Society

]]>Education and Training,2018-01-26T09:00:00+00:00Three Reasons Why Teachers Are Not Watchdogs for Violent Extremismhttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/three-reasons-why-teachers-are-not-watchdogs-for-violent-extremism
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/three-reasons-why-teachers-are-not-watchdogs-for-violent-extremism#When:15:26:00ZThe strength of the role of education in preventing violent extremism is in the soft approach; openly questioning values, engaging in conversations on complex topics, and in which critical thinking and exchanging is addressed.]]>

The exclusive use of hard power will not win the battle, said Irina Bokova (Director General of UNESCO) during one of her recent lectures, emphasizing the importance of the use of soft power - such as education - in the struggle against violent extremism.

In recent years, an increasing amount of attention has been allocated to non-traditional tools in the challenge of preventing violent extremism. The role of education in preventing violent extremism has been repeatedly emphasized by authorities from a local to international level. For example, in the National Counterterrorism Strategy 2016-2020 by the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism refers to educational institutes as entities with the knowledge and expertise to detect alarming behavior in an early stage, and act accordingly to prevent students from being new recruits of violent extremism movements. One must be careful expecting teachers to perform these tasks, as this may transform teachers into watchdogs for violent extremism, which is undesirable for at least three reasons.

A kid needs to be able to trust its teacher

In the transition of becoming an adult, youngsters may show temporary attitudes or behaviors that might be considered radical. Of course we expect a child’s parents to be of guidance in this transition. However, given their role of transferring knowledge and the amount of time teachers spend with these children, we expect them to play a role as well. Mutual trust between child and teacher is the key ingredient to succeed in this role. Without trust, a child will never be receptive to a teacher’s influence. This position of trust will be compromised, if teachers are imposed with a secondary and conflicting security role which urges them to identify children vulnerable to radicalization.

Extremism is not easy to recognize

Expecting teachers to detect alarming behavior, especially in its early stage, may be too much to ask. Extremism is very complex and can take a variety of forms. There is not one pattern that leads to extremism or one set of signs which lead to vulnerability for extremism. Moreover, it´s not clear how radical ideas translate into violent actions. According to John Horgan"The idea that radicalization causes terrorism is perhaps the greatest myth alive today in terrorism research. "[First], the overwhelming majority of people who hold radical beliefs do not engage in violence. And second, there is increasing evidence that people who engage in terrorism don't necessarily hold radical beliefs."

Things can go terribly wrong

In some countries, such as the UK, teachers have a duty to identify children who are vulnerable to radicalisation. According to Davies, criticism arose after some cases of misunderstanding and overreaction, and stigmatisation of the Muslim community. In the UK, in November 2016, a teacher reported a seven year old Muslim boy to the police after mistaken a small piece of brass for a bullet. Another heavily publicized incident was that of the “Clock Boy”. In September 2015, Ahmed Mohamed brought his self-made clock to school, to impress his teacher, who subsequently notified the police as he thought the clock to be a bomb. Ahmed was arrested and deported by the police under the allegation of building a ‘fake bomb’.

Nonetheless, when anyone performs actual unlawful behaviour under a teacher’s supervision, they should act accordingly. But, the strength of the role of education in preventing violent extremism is in the soft approach, in which teachers openly question values, engage in conversations on difficult and complex topics, and in which critical thinking and exchanging the variety of ideas and views is encouraged. Turning teachers into watchdogs for violent extremism will strongly undermine these important advantages.

]]>Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training,2017-06-09T15:26:00+00:00Analyzing Non-State Actorshttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/analyzing-non-state-actors
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/analyzing-non-state-actors#When:10:45:25ZAmong academics it is debated how to analyze non-state actors like IS. Recent research argues that existing state-centric analytical models can be applied to non-state actors too.]]>

Now that Islamic State (IS) is being pushed back, international attention focuses on the assault on one of IS’ strongholds: Mosul. Media speculate on what IS will do as soon as it is cornered there. Accurate scientific analysis might help to provide better insight on how IS will respond.

From a scientific perspective, a key question is how to analyze an actor such as IS, which just like a state controls a territory, claims a monopoly of violence and pursues a foreign policy, but is not recognized as a state. Scholars observe a trend in which non-state actors increasingly gain importance in international politics at the cost of state actors. Traditionally, foreign policy analysis is state-centric. It usually focuses on a cost-benefit calculation based upon perceived threats and opportunities, procedures within key organizations within the state, or political bargaining among key individuals.

From a practical point of view, it is challenging to establish a clear line between state and non-state actors. Some non-state actors control territory, have a monopoly of violence and pursue foreign policy. Some of them even label themselves a state, like IS. With the difference between state and non-state actor so difficult to discern, and actually more moving on one spectrum, analyzing state and non-state actors by using the same analytical models seems appropriate. An additional benefit of using existing, well-known models for analyzing non-state actors, is that the models can be applied for comparative research between these and state actors. Moreover, using them enables analyses of interaction between state and non-armed state actors, which can be expected to occur more often due to the increasing role non-state actors play in world politics. The struggle over Mosul is a case in point and the international coalition needs accurate academic analyses. The tools needed are available for that.

More information on how to analyze non-state actors - in particular within the Middle East - is available in a recently published article.

]]>Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training,2016-10-17T10:45:25+00:00Video blog: Developments in the field of (counter)terrorismhttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/video-blog-developments-in-the-field-of-counterterrorism
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/video-blog-developments-in-the-field-of-counterterrorism#When:12:00:21ZVideo blog in which the attacks in Paris, Brussels, as well as other developments in the field of (counter)terrorism are being discussed. ]]>

As part of the massive open online course (MOOC) "Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory & Practice", videos are regularly being produced to respond to some of the latest developments in the field of (counter)terrorism. The MOOC, that is freely accessible to everyone, has been online for almost three years now, and has attracted a worldwide audience of more than 100,000 participants from over 170 countries.

In the latest video blog, the attacks in Paris and Brussels are discussed, as well as the negotiations with the FARC. The book launch of a new book titled "Terrorisme" (in Dutch) written by Edwin Bakker and Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn is also announced.

You can watch the video below or sign up for the MOOC where you can find this and many more videos relating to terrorism and counterterrorism.

]]>Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training,2016-04-08T12:00:21+00:00Meeting at NATO’s COE-DAT on Foreign Fighters: push and pull factorshttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/meeting-at-natos-coe-dat-on-foreign-fighters-push-and-pull-factors
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/meeting-at-natos-coe-dat-on-foreign-fighters-push-and-pull-factors#When:06:00:30ZNATO's Centre for Excellence on Defence against Terrorism in Ankara organised an expert meeting on foreign fighters in June 2015 called "Homegrown Terrorism: causes and dimensions". What were the main conclusions?]]>

COE-DAT stands for the Centre of Excellence on Defence Against Terrorism, which is based in Ankara. It is the place where NATO organises training and courses on this particular threat to security. It also regularly organises workshops and expert meetings. Its June 2015 expert meeting on “Homegrown Terrorism: causes and dimensions” primarily focused on the phenomenon of foreign fighters and ways to prevent radicalisation and foster de-radicalisation. From the presentations by practitioners and academics from Germany, the UK, France, Macedonia, Turkey and the Netherlands it quickly became clear that many of the experts had quite different views on the size and nature of the problem. Is it a security threat or is it mainly a social and political challenge? Is it a problem of vulnerable individuals or inequality and discrimination in society? Different answers to these questions apparently have led to different approaches and concrete policies.

From the presentations and discussions it was clear that in the various countries, the phenomenon of foreign fighters plays out differently. The main value of the expert meeting was perhaps exchanging the many different experiences and views how to deal with them. There were, however, also a number of issues and ideas regarding foreign fighters that we see in all European countries. Perhaps the most important one is the idea that there is no typical homegrown (jihadist) terrorist but that there are reoccurring patterns. They relate to the motivations of those that went to Syria or Iraq. These motivations can be divided into push and pull factors. Often mentioned pull factors include the possibility to do something good – to defend Muslims that are under attack, and the possibility to serve god and have the opportunity to fulfill the, perceived, requirement to go on jihad. To others, it is also the pull factor of comradeship, fighting with your friends and your ‘brothers’. Closely linked to this is the pull factor of adventure, the appeal of weapons and the possibility of fame and raising one’s status. Finally, to some, joining the violent jihad provides the opportunity to die for a good cause and be accepted by God in heaven with all the perks that, they believe, come with that. The most often mentioned push factors were personal problems including mental health problems, identity problems and trouble in the family. Another set of push factors are related to the position of some Muslim youngsters in Western societies and problems related to social exclusion, in particular the political climate and the “Suspect community paradigm” Muslims are confronted with.

To some of the experts, the push factors were considered more important in explaining the phenomenon of foreign fighters, to others it were the pull factors. The push factor that was mentioned most often was personal problems, especially identity problems. This factor is linked to several of the pull factors, and perhaps this should be the main focus of policy making. But what to do about these personal problems and the appeal of joining the fight in Syria and Iraq to ‘solve’ these problems? This question remained more or less unanswered. There was some level of agreement that education can or should play an important role and that mental health workers should be trained to recognise and report possible cases of radicalisation. Another important observation was that the war in Syria and Iraq will probably will continue to be an important pull factor and continue to attract foreign fighters from Europe and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, there is no sign the fighting in these two countries will stop soon, nor that we find answers to effectively deal with homegrown jihadi foreign fighters.

]]>Education and Training, Events,2015-06-25T06:00:30+00:00Google Hangout on Foreign Fightershttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/google-hangout-on-foreign-fighters
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/google-hangout-on-foreign-fighters#When:14:36:14ZOn October 14th, a Google Hangout on foreign fighters with international experts was broadcasted as part of the MOOC Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory & Practice of Leiden University. ]]>

On October 14th, a Google Hangout on foreign fighters with international experts was broadcasted as part of the MOOC Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory & Practice of Leiden University. Experts who joined this chat were Mr. Mark Singleton (Director of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT The Hague), Mr. Raffaello Pantucci (Director International Security Studies, Royal United Services Institute- RUSI) and Mr. Daan Weggemans (Centre for Terrorism & Counterterrorism).

In this live video chat, hosted by Prof. dr. Edwin Bakker, Director of the Centre for Terrorism & Counterterrorism (Leiden University - Campus The Hague), these three experts discussed the issue of foreign fighters from three different angles. Mr. Daan Weggemans started with the individual/local level, reflecting on who these foreign fighters are and why they decide to join the violent jihad abroad (based on this publication). Then Mr. Raffaello Pantucci discussed his recently issued report on the threat posed by ISIS to the UK. He explored to what extent returning fighters pose a threat to Western countries. Finally, Mr. Mark Singleton looked at the issue of foreign fighters on an international level. He discussed the highly complex geopolitical context and looked at the (im)possibility of an international response, explaining why we are currently in a “marshland”.

Students enrolled in this free online course were able to ask questions to the experts via a “Question & Answer” app that was moderated by Ms. Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn. More information about the course (next offering starting on Nov 3) can be found on this page.

]]>Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training, Events,2014-10-17T14:36:14+00:00The Brunswick Wargamehttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/the-brunswick-wargame
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/the-brunswick-wargame#When:12:26:35ZGaming and simulation have long been used to teach and train military officers to operate strategically in uncertain situations.]]>

Conflict, strategy and war games can be found in many forms today. The origins of the table-top war game in particular, however, can be traced back to the Brunswick Wargame (Braunschweiger Kriegsspiel) developed by German polymath, Johann Christian Ludwig Hellwig in 1780. The game was titled 'Versuch eines aufs Schachspiel gebaueten taktischen Spiels von zwey und mehreren Personen zu spielen' ('An Attempt at a chess-based tactical game to be played by two or more persons').

Hellwig’s war game incorporates game elements from Christoph Weickmann’s Chess Game of 1644, and various popular strategy card games of the time. The original game rules are codified in a game handbook, which players can use to guide game set-up and play. In the introduction Hellwig writes, 'The final purpose of a tactical game is to sensualize the substance of the most important appearances of war. The more precisely the nature of this item is imitated, the closer the game comes to its perfection' (Hellwig 1780, p.xi, own translation). Accordingly, there are approximately 250 rules in the original game manual, providing for extremely time consuming, complex game-play.

Hellwig spent the following 20 years modifying and adapting the game. In the 19th century, war games became important military training and strategy development tools for the Prussian army, before being adopted by militaries around the world. The war game was reconstructed according to the original writings of Hellwig by Rolf Nohr und Stefan Böhme from Braunschweig University of Arts, Institute of Media Studies. The game was showcased and played by participants of the 45th International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference in Dornbirn, Austria

]]>Governance of Crises, Education and Training,2014-07-28T12:26:35+00:00Addressing Terrorism Studies’ ‘Data Problem’: One Case At a Timehttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/addressing-terrorism-studies-data-problem-one-case-at-a-time
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/addressing-terrorism-studies-data-problem-one-case-at-a-time#When:06:50:15ZThere are encouraging signs that the study of terrorism is moving away from its near-exclusive focus on secondary sources and literature-review based methodologies, for example by re-examining well-known cases using newly available first-hand data.]]>

The decades’ old overreliance on secondary sources of information is a long-standing problem in research on terrorism. Still, such data forms the basis on which the large majority of studies are built. Using secondary sources, such as newspaper articles or existing studies, poses several problems. Newspaper pieces or media sources more generally present problems of reliability and accuracy. Too frequently, such material contains factual errors or is to a greater or lesser extent distorted by the political preferences of journalist and editors or the simple wish to attract a readership through sensationalist reporting. Relying on academic publications should make these issues far less pronounced, yet raises the risk that the author is essentially recycling existing data and insights without adding anything of substance.

The ‘data problem’ is one of the reasons why terrorism expert Marc Sageman recently described research on the subject as being in a state of ‘stagnation’. Considering the large amount of funding that has poured into terrorism research since 9/11 and the fact that the number of books and articles on terrorism has skyrocketed since those fateful days in September 2001, Sageman’s critique is all the more deserving of our attention. Obviously this is an issue for which there is no quick or easy fix. There are, however, encouraging signs that the study of terrorism is moving away from its near-exclusive focus on secondary sources and literature-review based methodologies. One way of contributing to this ‘primary-sources turn’ in terrorism research is to critically re-examine well-known cases using newly available first-hand data.

A recently published article (anyone without access to the journal may request a complimentary copy by emailing the author) on the Dutch ‘Hofstadgroup’ takes precisely such an approach. By thoroughly revisiting what has been called a ‘quintessential’ example of homegrown jihadist terrorism using unique primary-sources based data, the authors make the case for a more nuanced reappraisal. On closer examination, the Hofstadgroup does not appear to have been as quintessential or even as clearly a ‘homegrown jihadist network’ as has been claimed. Beyond contributing to our understanding of this particular case, the findings underline the continuing deleterious effects of an overreliance on secondary sources on terrorism research.

]]>Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training,2014-07-21T06:50:15+00:00The European Union and terrorismhttps://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/the-european-union-and-terrorism
https://www.leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl/articles/the-european-union-and-terrorism#When:09:24:48ZWith respect to couterterrorism there is no lack of knowledge or a lack of opportunities to share ideas among academics and practitioners. If there is a problem, it is the slow implementation of ideas and policies.]]>

In the weeks after the terrorist attack on the Jewish museum in Brussels and the arrest of the alleged perpetrator in Marseille, the European Union reacted in a typical way. As the perpetrator was known to the French as radical and a returnee from the jihad in Syria and from the border town Roubaix, questions arose why this information – apparently – had not been shared with neigbouring Belgium. After the attack and arrest politicians and high ranking officials were quick to stress the need for closer cooperation and sharing of information. However, this has been said so often before and almost always after terrorist incidents like the one in Brussels.

This does not give the recent call much credibility. Moreover, it could raise doubts among the general public about the current counterterrorism practice: is it really that bad? Typical reactions for more cooperation and coordination give a too negative picture of the situation. While there surely is room for improvement, a lot has already been achieved which also needs mentioning. Another typical reaction that gives a too negative picture of counterterrorism capacity and expertise is the call for a new knowledge hub. Is there really a need for this? Do we know too little about terrorism? And what would be the added value next to so many other initiatives and ongoing joint research project in the European Union (and partly funded by the European Union)?

Again, a lot has already been achieved in recent years and there is no lack of knowledge. Neither is there a lack of opportunities to share ideas among academics and practitioners. If there is a problem, it is the slow implementation of ideas and policies. Perhaps the same persons that have called for new inititiatives should look at why some of the previous initiatives have not worked optimially and focus on ways how to improve the implementation proces. Moreover, they might also pay attention to what has worked well and even more important, try to explain to the public that whatever we do, we can not guarantee 100 per cent safety against terrorism.

]]>Governance of Crises, Terrorism and Political Violence, Education and Training,2014-06-18T09:24:48+00:00